


L.O.V.E.

by DarkValkyrie



Category: Mermaids - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Choosing between life and death, Slice of Life, don't let the title fool you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21749482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkValkyrie/pseuds/DarkValkyrie
Summary: This is a slice of Liam's life.He had a normal life until the headaches started.When he heard the words brain cancer, in a second his life changed.Doctors assured him that there was a big success of recovery after the operation so after the operation his life changed again.He finally did what he always wanted to do. But after seeing a mermaid and hearing her melody he knew that she was his destiny.





	L.O.V.E.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the inspiration for the story from two illustrations but I won't say which ones, so no spoilers. Just read the story, there is a short explanation at the end.  
> I didn't use any movies or series for inspiration, all I did is sit in front of my laptop and start to write, the story is my original work.  
> This is just the result of my weird imagination and brain seeing the illustrations and telling me what to write. I hope you like it :)
> 
> It’s still just a story, like all of my other stores. It doesn’t have a deeper spiritual, moral or ethical meaning.

Being a lawyer was a tough job. A lot of people hated layers but Liam wanted to be one since he was a high school student. He was always good with words and with getting the people to say what he wanted them to say. All of his friends and even his parents told him that being a lawyer was the perfect job for him.

Being a lawyer was a stressful job, but Liam loved it and he was excellent at it. He really lost a case. When he lost a case, it was because lied to him or kept some information from him, so the prosecutor got him by surprise because he dug up or found out about the information. He was always happiest when he won the most difficult cases, not because of the media attention, but because he liked challenges. The difficult cases were stressful but to him, he liked them because he was always a few steps ahead of his opponent, the prosecutor. It felt like they were playing a game of chess. 

A few months ago, Liam started to have headaches. At first, he thought that it was just the stress from the job getting to him, but for a week now, the headache got worse. The left side of his head hurt constantly, so he went to see a doctor. They ran some tests at the hospital, they gave him an MRI scan, did some bloodwork, X-ray of his head, gave him some painkillers for the headache and told him to come in tomorrow to talk about the results of the tests.

Liam took the painkillers but they didn’t help. The next day he called in sick at work and went to the hospital to talk to doctor Oswald assigned to him. Doctor Oswald told him he had bad news. Liam had a cancerous tumor in his brain and that it was the cause of the headaches. As far as doctor Oswald could see the cancerous tumor was growing and if Liam didn’t get an operation to remove it, he would die within a few months. 

“A tumor...cancer...I have cancer? I’m only 34 years old. How can I have cancer?” Liam, shocked by the Doctors Oswald’s words, asked.

“Cancer doesn’t care how old you are. I know this is a shock, but it’s still early and we can remove it. And with chemotherapy, you will be can beat this. The most important thing is that we do the operation as quickly as possible. I can arrange an operation next week if that’s ok for you.” Doctor Oswald sad.

“Yeah...Yeah, that’s ok.” Liam answered still in shock.

“Alright then. I will call you and tell you the exact day of the operation. After the operation, you will go through chemotherapy and I suggest that you take some time away from the stress of the city and give your body time to heal and regenerate. Ok?” Doctor Oswald explained.

“Yeah...” Liam answered. He was listening to what doctor Oswald said but his mind and body were still in shock.

“You can go now. I’ll call you later when I arrange everything for the operation.” Doctor Oswald said.

“Yeah...Yeah, I’ll go.” Liam picked up his things and walked out of the doctor’s room like a zombie. 

He had cancer, Liam still couldn't comprehend these words. He didn’t know what people in this situation do. The first thing he could think of was to go home. And then what? He didn’t know so he just went home. At home, Liam opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, sat at the table and drank it in silence. He took out his cellphone and looked at it for a few moments. 

He took a few sips of beer and then called his mother. He told her what doctor Oswald said and heard her cry. He wondered why he didn’t cry, it was his life at stake so why wasn't he crying. His mother told him that she'll take the next flight and come to take care of him. He couldn’t say no. Liam hung up, finished the rest of his beer, showered and went to sleep.

The next day Liam went to work and talked to his boss. He told him what doctor Oswald said and that he’ll be absent from work for at least a year because of the chemotherapy. His boss was very supportive and told him that his job would be waiting for him when he’ll be ready to come back to work. 

After two days, his mother came and stayed with him. She cried every time she saw him, but Liam still didn’t shed a single tear. The day after doctor Oswald called and told him that the operation will be next Thursday and that he should come to the hospital the day before.

Liam and his mother came to the hospital and the hospital staff put him in a room. People at hospitals were always sad and now his mother was too. He never liked hospitals. Doctor Oswald came to his room and explained the procedure he will go tomorrow during the operation. His mother asked a lot of questions, but he just listed. Liam still couldn't comprehend that they were talking about him. That his life was at stake and that tomorrow they will open his skull and remove a tumor from his brain.

His mother stayed with him all night talking until they both fell asleep. In the morning the nurses came, prepared Liam for the operation and took him to the operation room. His mother stayed and waited for him to come back. The operation lasted eight hours. The nurses returned Liam to his room and explained to his mother that there were some complications and that he’ll be sleeping for some time. They plugged him to machines to monitor his vital signs and left, leaving his mother to sit next to her sleeping son.

Liam woke up, everything was still a bit hazy in his mind, it was probably the side effects of the medication and the operation. He saw his mother sleeping in the chair next to his bed. The sun was just starting to rise so he decided not to wake her up. The medication and fatigue from surgery got to him and he fell asleep again.

\---------------------------------

Liam woke up after a while and looked around, he was hooked up to a lot of machines. He tried to move to a more comfortable position, his whole body felt so stiff, every moment felt like he was moving a mountain. Moving around on the bed woke up his mother looked up at him with tears of joy in her eyes and hugged him, smiling and silently thanking the heavens that her son is alive.

He stayed in the hospital after the operation, he repeated the MRI scan, bloodwork and the X-ray of his head. Doctor Oswald didn’t let him leave until he wasn’t satisfied with the results of the tests. After doctor Oswald confirmed that he was ready to go home, Liam was discharged from the hospital with instructions about his further treatment and chemotherapy. 

Before the operation, doctor Oswald told him to get away from the stress of the city after the operation, to let his body heal. Being a lawyer in a big city was very profitable and because of that Liam had enough money saved up that he could buy a little bungalow on an island near the city and live there for a year. Now, after the operation, he bought a small bungalow, an hour's drive from the city and the hospital, right by the beach. When his mother left, Liam rented out his apartment and moved to the bungalow.

Life on the island was laid back, people were never in a hurry, never under stress but everything got done. Everyone did their job, everyone had enough free time to hang out with their friends or be with their family and everyone was always in a good mood. He liked it here. The air was fresh, the people happy, it was the exact opposite of the crowded, noisy and stressful city.

After a week it was time for Liam to start chemotherapy. After the first treatment, Liam returned to the island and spent two days lying in bed, wanting to scream in agony, vomiting. His whole body hurt, he couldn’t eat or drink anything, he couldn’t even sleep. A year of this pain and agony awaited him. On the third day, Liam managed to eat a sandwich, without vomiting, and drink some water. He gathered enough strength and got up to walk. It was already night as he got out of the bungalow to get some fresh air and stretch his muscles. His body felt so stiff, every step he took felt as if his legs were glued to the floor.

Liam sat on a pile of rocks on the beach in front of his bungalow to rest for a bit. He put his feet in the water and listened to the waves splash against the rocks and the shore. The island was even more peaceful at night and without the light pollution, the stars in the sky shone so brightly. The moon was so big, he felt as if he could touch it. Liam sat there for a while, resting, enjoying the sound of the waves when he heard a melody in the distance. 

At first, the melody was faint, but as he concentrated on it, it felt as if it was right next to him. The melody was so simple yet so mesmerizing, at one moment Liam felt like his heart started beating in the same rhythm as the melody. He looked around, but in the darkness, he couldn't see who was playing the melody or hear from where the melody was coming from. Even though he couldn't find the source of the melody he stayed on the beach, listening to the mesmerizing melody, until it stopped. When it stopped, he felt like his heart stopped and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He waited for a while but the melody didn’t start again. Disappointed, Liam returned to the bungalow and went to sleep.

After his next chemotherapy treatment, Liam felt even worse. This time he felt sick for almost the entire week. The nurses and doctor Oswald told him that the first few treatments were the worst and that as time passes, he won't feel that sick after the treatments. He hoped they were right. Liam continued with the treatments for a month and after every treatment, each time he felt worse.

After the last treatment, his hair started to fall off, his eyebrows and his beard became thinner. Soon he’s going to lose all his hair and have to wear a hat or one of those scarves. He also lost a lot of weight. It seemed like the chemotherapy treatments were doing more harm than good. 

One night, Liam was feeling a little better and decided to go to the beach, He sat on a pile of rocks on the beach, hoping to hear the melody again. After a while, he heard it, but this time seemed closer. This one wasn't the same as the first one he heard, but it was still mesmerizing. Not wanting the melody to disappear tonight and wanting to meet the person playing the melody, Liam called out towards the sea. “Your melody is beautiful!” 

The melody stopped. Liam started to panic that his words scared off the person playing the melody. ‘ _What if that person never comes back? What if I never hear the person play the melody again?’_ He thought and then saw the sea in front of him move in a strange way like something big was swimming towards him. Liam stood up, he didn’t know what to do, whatever was coming towards him looked big. He thought about running away but then a mermaid swam out of the water onto the pile of rocks on which he stood.

She was as mesmerizing as the melody he heard. She had beautiful long purple hair and deep blue eyes. She was leaning on the pile of rocks, smiling, looking directly at him holding a seashell with piano keys on it. She took his breath away, he never saw anything as beautiful as her in his whole life.

“Thank you.” The mermaid said.

Liam just stared at her speechless.

“You really think my melody is beautiful?” The mermaid asked.

“Yeah...Yes, I do. It is the most beautiful melody I heard.” Liam managed to say.

“My name is Valora. What is your name?” Valora asked Liam.

“My name is Liam.” Liam was still standing frozen by her beauty, not knowing what to say, not believing that he was talking to a mermaid.

“Do you want me to play?” Valora asked.

“Yes.” Liam said.

“Come, sit beside me Liam.” Valora said.

Liam sat beside her, Valora put one end of the seashell with piano keys in her mouth and started playing. She looked so beautiful sitting on the rocks. He's heart started beating in the same rhythm as the mesmerizing melody. When she stopped playing, he felt like his heart stopped again and felt a sharp pain in his chest. He didn’t tell her that, he didn’t want to upset this stunning creature beside him. 

“Your melody was wonderful. How can you make such beautiful music?” Liam asked Valora.

“My melody comes from the hart. The hart makes it, I just pass it along trough my seashell.” Valora said showing him her seashell with the piano keys.

“Can I see you again?” Liam asked.

“Yes, of course. Just watch out for the next full moon and I will be here waiting for you.” Valora said and jumped in the sea. She looked at him, waved and then she was gone.

Liam continued with his treatments, each one made him feel worse. He lost all his hair, his eyebrows, his facial hair and a lot of weight. He looked more like a husk of a man than a normal human. At the same time, he didn’t care. His mind was occupied by thoughts about Valora. Every night he stared up at the sky, waiting for the full moon to appear on it so he could see Valora again and hear her play her mesmerizing melody again.

The fool moon appeared on the night sky and Liam tried to rush to the beach, to the pile of rocks where he met Valora but his whole body felt so stiff. He felt pain in every muscle as he walked towards the beach. When he got there, there was no sign of her. ‘ _Am I too late? Did I miss her? Maybe she didn’t even like me and lied to me? Who would like a man like a husk of a man like me?_ ’ He taught and sat on the pile of rocks heartbroken. Liam just sat there, he didn’t want to return to the bungalow, he was really looking forward to seeing Valora and hearing her melody again. That thought kept him going, kept him hopeful that his pain will stop, for the last month. He hugged his knees and put his head on top of them, he felt such deep sadness, he felt like crying. 

After a while, he felt a hand on his cheek lifting his head up. It was Valora.

“Sorry I’m late. I had to do something before I came to you.” Valora said with a smile.

“I thought you won’t come.” Liam said.

“Don’t worry. Do you want to hear me play?” Valora asked.

“Yes, of course.” Liam said with a smile.

Valora started to play a melody, this time the rhythm was faster than the last two times. Liam’s heart started beating in the same rhythm as the melody as if he was enchanted. The rhythm of the melody got faster and faster and ended with a high-pitched note. Liam felt that, at the end of the melody, at the end of the high-pitched note, his heart stopped for a second from sheer marvel and the complexity of the melody itself. This time he didn’t feel pain in his chest he felt love for the remarkable creature sitting beside him.

Valora put down her seashell and looked at Liam. “I was late because I wanted this night to be perfect and because I wanted to ask you something.” 

“Ask me something? What?” Liam looked at her confused.

“Do you want to come with me?” Valora asked.

“With you? Where?” Liam was really confused now. Mermaids couldn’t be on the surface for a long time and humans can’t live underwater. He didn’t know what she meant.

“Under the sea silly.” Valora answered with a smile and a quiet laugh.

“But I’m a human, I can’t breathe underwater.” Liam said.

“Don’t worry about that. I don’t want to leave without you. I love you.” Valora said, leaned towards him and kissed him.

The kiss caught Liam off guard, he was speechless. 

“Don’t you love me too?” Valora asked.

“Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat and every time I hear you play your melody from the hart my heart beats at the same rhythm. From the first time I saw you, I was in love with you.” 

“That means you’ll come with me?” Valora asked with a wide smile.

“Yes, I will come with you.” Liam answered.

Valora took Liam’s hand and they jumped into the sea. She embraced him and started swimming deeper into the ocean. As they swam, embraced, deeper and deeper into the darkness of the ocean, Liam's pain grew weaker and weaker, until it stopped completely.

\---------------------------------

Liam’s mother, Elenor was sitting outside of Liam’s room in the hospital. After the brain surgery, her son fell into a coma and stayed like that for a month now. Doctor Oswald told her that there were complications during the surgery but that there he didn’t know why Liam fell into a coma. He thought that it was probably just temporary and that her son was going to wake up, he just didn’t know when. This was the third time Liam’s hart first started beating rapidly and then flatlined. The nurses and the doctors were in his room trying to revive her son because his heart suddenly stopped again. 

Elenor hated the sound, the heart monitor machine, made when her son's heart stopped beating. The flat line sound lasted too long this time and then it stopped completely. The nurses and the doctor, who were trying to revive her son, came out of the room with sad looks on their faces. The doctor told her that they tried everything they could but that this time they couldn’t get his heart rhythm back. Elenor fell down into the chair and cried.

Elenor came into the room to see him, crying. She walked over to his bed, stroked his hair and repeatedly told him how much she loved him. Liam was lying in bed with what looked like a smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> First things first. The title of the story. It's not just about the main character falling in love with the mermaid. After each letter, there is a dot. The dot is there because as I introduce the character's names in their first letters spell out the word love: Liam, Oswald, Valora and Elenor. L.O.V.E. 
> 
> And the melody he hears is his heart beating irregularly and the heart monitor making the sound. The last melody with the high pitched noise at the end is the heart monitor making a flat line sound.
> 
> Now the rest. I have a few coloring books from Kerby Rosanes. In the coloring book Mythomorphia, there is an illustration of a mermaid and in the Imagimorphia, an illustration of a seashell with piano keys so that's probably where I got the inspiration for this story. They are coloring books for adult and I strongly recommend them if you like coloring.
> 
> I can't upload the pictures of the illustrations, that I colored, here so here is a link if you want to see the colored pictures: https://darkvalkyrie6.tumblr.com/post/189598594887/love


End file.
